Closure device



ATTO R N EY R. W. DE LANCEY Y CLOSURE DEVICE Sept. 18., 1951 Filed May 2, 1945 lc V Patented Sept. 18, 15951 UNITED STATE cLosURE DEvIoE Ralph W. De Lancey, Meriden, Conn. ApplicatonMay 2, 1945, Serial No. 591,564 2 claims. (C1. 22o-25) Y The present invention relates to closure dev vices.

Steel drums, barrels, tanks, and the like, used for storage and transportation of petroleum products and many other purposes are frequently provided with threaded bushings to receive closures which are threaded into the bushings. Many of these closures in common use require special tools for the removal of the closure, and hence access to the contents of the drum may be very diicult or impossible because the proper tool is not available, and in opening the drum by anything else than the proper tool destruction or impairment of the closure is likely to occur.

\ The present invention relates to closures more suitable for use with such drums, as well as for carrying of accessory devices such as depth gauges, and requiring no special tools other than an ordinary screw driver or similar instrument to remove or replace the closure.

The present invention contemplates that the closure device instead of being threaded into the bushing is one which can be used either with the threaded bushing or with drums having openings which are not threaded. The closure device is provided with two or more L-shaped, or angle, pieces. Their lower ends can either be positioned so that they underlie the material of the drum or the like, or they may be swung or shifted from -such underlying position to an interior position where they will not interfere with the removal or replacement of the closure. According to the present invention these angle members may be tightened in place or released by nuts threaded on them and capable of being turned by means of a screw driver or similar device. The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustrating the present invention, three embodiments in which the invention may take form, together with a depth gauge carried by such a closure, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

In these drawings: Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through a closure device and conventional threaded 4clo-v sure taken on the line I-I of Figure 3;

Figure 2 is a view of the closure device alone taken at right angles to Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section of the closure device alone taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; y Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Figure 1, but showing the angle member in release ,position; v .Y y

Figure 5 is a viewvsimilar to Figure 4 illustrating a modified form of construction;

Figure 6 is a vfragmentary elevational view taken in the direction of the arrow 6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 illustrates a slightly modified form of closure withwhich is incorporated a depth gauge; f Y

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the assembly of the gauge of Figure 7 and the tank.

In the drawings a fragment of a steel drum, oil tank or the like, is illustrated at Ill and a conventional internally threaded bushing ris shown at Il.

The closure device employs a plate l2 adapted to overlie the bushing. A gasket I3 will, of course, usually be employed. v

The plate l2 is provided with two downwardly extending lugs l5, l5 preferably spaced to act as guides in one size of bushing. Adjacent each lug is a hole having a small diameter portion I6 and a large diameter portion l1 with an intermediate outwardly facing shoulder I8. An L- shaped angle clamping member i9 having a. threaded shank portion 20 and a horizontal portion 2l extends up through the small diameter portion I6 of the hole. It is threaded into a nut 22' counterbored as indicated at 23, and its upper end is upset as indicated at 24 so that the nuts and angle member are inseparable. A gasket 25 is interposed between the bottom of the nut and the shoulder i8. The counterbore is closed by a plug 26 having a forced t, and a screw slot 21 extends across the top of the nut and the plug. The plug is short so as to provide space to accommodate the upper end of' the angle member.

The angle member is made of such length that when the nut is unthreaded the lower end of the angle member willbe substantially below the inner wall of the tank, aS indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, or in full lines in Figure 4. The L-shaped member can be turned from the full line position ofFigures 1, 2 `and 3 to the dotted line position of Figure 3, or full line position of Figure 4, by turningthe nut to the left, as in an unthreading operation, as far :as it will go, by hand or by means of a, screw driver. The angle member will then be in an inner position and. passes down lthrough the bushing Il. vNow when onel applies a screw driver to the nut and `turns-it to tighten the nut, Lthe right hand turning of the nut will swing the angle member from the :inside position to the outer position vshown 3 in Figures l to 4, the lugs I5 being of such shape as to limit the swinging motion in each direction as will be obvious from Figure 3.

Continued turning of the nuts to tighten the threads will draw the angle members up against the inside wall of the drum or tank thereby effecting a very tight closure. The protruding central portion Hof the $,cover platewreceivewslthe nuts so that '-they areproteoted againstinjury, eand further protection maybe affordd'by gaskets 28 and a removable sheet metal channel 30 which can be snapped into position after the closure has been secured in position. This sheet n'ital cover can be readily removed by simply inserting a screw driver under the edge ar'rdpryinigit'oif;

In the modied form of oimstruction :illus-g trated in Figures 5 and 6 the closure device Sluis provided with two lugsy 32 between wlltld the angle member 33 is located. Thellugs 32 lare spaceditoats gide'siina small pushirigm; `The cover plate has `a lfsrll'all f'sat =I-l"a v"alici fa larger seat lib-to t'fa iar'gerjbusnirig 1| |f The nutsa is ce 1 den thejupp'erthreadeulenufssiof'the angie members as feefore. H When'fthe partis are ih'tli'e full Elii'ie psitlbniof Figilre fand lthe Inilt tightened the closure in clamped place. When trie mit is 'loosened ith nutfnti lsshanpeuam'embei. can be swungas indicated' in ld'ottedillne's, FigureE 5. This" 'freedom r'x'riovement mayibe had by various =ccnstruotions f'givin'g suiiicie'nt' iloose# ness between the nut and the hole in the closure eddy which receives "the :hut isircnfa space is indicated at'35'. v i Y This; arrangerrie'tfs'howniinvl'igure'n feinpl'oys a closure device similar to that shown in Figure 1; outras this fiievieeiis met @exposed-:to z-shipping hazards; the Vfruits 22' ned fno 'iprtetion; The cover plate 40 is stepped, asindibatedfatifl'l rand B12, `lso that yit '"carr nt :over different :size-c1 fopenngs. Thebody irnember 'lib i'siprovidedfwthia cerit'ral'op'eing 43toreeive'a-'gauge rod-"M, .Ihe body rrnem'be'r fla-o also vmarries; .fa :tube 145 and va cover 46 held'Y on .by-screws fdl. 1`Suitablez gaskets as atflls and felmake the devieesuincentiy'f tight to 'be used "on topLof an pilfstorageetank, aafragment ofwhich isiindicated ati lo. '.The'sbody mem# beiao carries fa fliea'der f rod stfof'ssuch ia? length aslto extend vdown to-'theieenter'ofth'e' tank'. :A sheet-metal arin 55 I is lpivote'd .attlrellowi'er end of `the header *and ii's 'provided jrwith fsa mumher of holes i such 'Sas indicated at 52 s 53, @54 :fand s55. @The lower endf of tlie'fgaugerodf'd'enters' th'ehole 52. This rod is of ltheproper. lengthvthtwvhen the arm Y 5 l is 1 in1 a horiz'ot'alposition theupper `end of the gaugeisfat the rhalfwayLmarkiinlthe gauge tube 45. Tle`fholes53,'254-anxii552arefor the reception ofltheerrd'oflthe: flatiarm esaythis arm being of the proper lengthroritlieidepthzf tank used.

The assembly ,ofi theIg-augei ini Figure "If on". the -top of the tank-isshownldiagammatically in Figure 9. I -Iere thetop wall' ofthetank isiindicatedat lilathe bottom at lb'iandthelcenter line'at luc. Wllenthe iristrumentiisfoutside the tanky the parts Scan hangjfdown verticallyeas irrdioatedf-in Figure?9;a1idvtle5floatli 'canipass'fdown Ithrough 'the 'opening Y in the tank; 'When it reaches the bottomfofltne tariklori'tnef oilLinthe -tank it will shiftlaterallyfiasindica-ted Figure l'9,'fa'nd permit passing'the'fheader 'ain gaugerrod ybe 'secured' in'p'osit'ionby tightening Zup theclampling IVrnerr'ibers i9. fThe-taifgetfonthe Afgauge rcd la 4win re-at an elevation; that .tgwnrzee opposite f the proper pia-ce'l iofi rthe f1 gauge Jgiass.

When the tank is half filled the target will be moved up to the middle of the gauge glass and when the tank is full the target will be moved up to the full position.

With this device one can readily place the float arm in such a position as to have the float centralized laterally of the tank. A simple screw driver is all that is needed Yto .attach a gauge to ,atank ,A 4'

'The device maybe readily adapted for use with `tanks of various vertical depths by merely selectling the length of the head rod and the length of Tthef'ste'm 44 so that the pivot point will be at the center of the tank and the gauge target at half full'v/hn'tli'e *float arm is horizontal, this arm beingaof sufficient length to permit the lloat to swing all the Way from the bottom to the top of tlietank:

Since itis obvious that the invention may be embodied* in other'frmsrandonstruotionsfwiithin the scope of the claims, I Wish it to he under: stood =that `the Vparticular :"forms shown are 'but 'a'.few idf th'es'e forms, and xvarious modii'lc'i'rtio'n's arid :changes being possible, I:do not=0therlwise limitrm-yse'lf iri anyway withufespeetf` thereto.

fWh'at vis claimedis:

il'. .In a"closure,:ascoveriplatesadapted tofoverlie an opening; L1-shaped :members .extending throughi'h'oles;inltherplateeandihavingflowerfends spaced from ltheiplatefandzshiftable'from locking pos'l'tionslin .which they-extendldutwardly to un; derlie Lthe'x'opening nto :released :positions .'withln' the 'opening inwhich they :domotinterfere with removal or replacement of the closure, the 'plate having fon 'its 5 lower ,faceea lug :adjacent ffea'ch Lz-"shap'd zmemb'er, Leach .lug 'shaving two :'faces forming :a vertical dihedral :angle i within which said l I sirape`d rme'mherais .disposedthe *.L -shaped members fhaving 'threaded upper aends'..sand:nuts non-removably carried` on-sa/id,threadedaendsgzthe mits'whenztighteneidrbearingzonithe upper face'of the plate` so ithat; clamping ,f pressure Ema-y be :appliedplthe: nuts when loosened freeing ,the-.meme bers-[for movementto released;position,:tl ie said faces .of ithe lugsyforming Aangularly; spaced; 'stops against which-the lowereends of ,the Lez-shaped members'are 'brought whenytightenirig' or. loosening the 1 nuts, the lengths of ythe lugs; being: such that .the lower ends' of vvthe heshapedgmemers when in 4their 4lovvermost positions, l"engage the lugs.

2.Ascl0surex dev-ice for closing an opening nrfa tn'kzandf :'comprsing; a; plate having-fan-annular seat adapted l tol overlie .theV opening and.' having holes inside A.the seat andiat the fbottomof yupward'ly opening recesses, 'iL-shaped members threaded at their upper ends and havingshank portions: loosely extending throughlthe holesin the; .plateand' lower..ends spaced belowzthe ,plate and; positionable .underf thesseaiior'y inside. the-seat, caf'pmutsanoneremovahly carried by fand-enclosing tlxethreadedfends so' that :said endsrare inaccessible, ttheffcap nuts'being` provided .Withr screw driver slots and received innthef-recessesfso aszffto be protected by the plate,:safid.;cap nuts'rbeing tlireaddaat'stheirflowera ends'l to: iitzthezthre'ads soith'ati'thaithelowerxendsoi.theLshapedszmemf bers may; berraisled: by tightening J.theiriuts -and dowrediby loosening lthem, the plate hav-ing downwardly extending; lu'gsfarranged'aboutathe lower endsofithe Leshaped members an'd .provided with faces whiehalimitthe turningiiottherespctivdhf-shaped'sr'nembers'iri theiholesiir bothzdirections, 'wherebyiwvhenithe nutssareitightened and lower ends of the members project underneath: the

5 seat the closure may be secured to the tank and UNITED STATES PATENTS when the lower ends of the members are inside the Number Name Date seat, the closure may be removed or replaced. 309,975 Nicolai Dec, 30J 1384 589,780 Howard 1 Sept. 7, 1897 RALPH W- DE LANCEY 5 761,241 Menard 1 May 31, 1904 762,575 Bray June 14, 1904 1,200,311 Cash et al Oct. 3, 1916 REFERENCES CITED 2,294,176 Gredeu Aug. 25, 1942 The following references are of record in the 2,320,400 Baden June 1, 1943 le of this 4patent: 10 2,334,012 Koch et al. Nov. 9, 1943 

